Anti-Aging Superheroes

Super Ingredients For Anti-Aging

Do anti-ageing ingredients really exist and if so should I be using them on my skin and which ones should I choose?

It can get very confusing when hearing about all the different ‘anti-aging’ ingredients that skin care brands say are the best. You may have specific questions like should I use a retinol on my skin or what are antioxidants and how do they work and should I use them?

There is no single wonder ingredient and for us to achieve the best result possible from our skin care regimes so the bottom line is that we need a combination of ingredients applied regularly to the skin both in the morning and evening after cleansing.

Our skins need certain basic core ingredients to fight against ageing so I will give a quick run down on what they are and how they work. The best products any skincare company can offer to fight wrinkles and aging include the following ingredients:

I am a firm believer in using a SPF 30 or higher so if you moisturiser combo SPF is sitting around 20 then boost the skin’s defence by adding a sunscreen to your skin care regime. One of the most common replies I get from patients is that sunscreens make them feel greasy or interfere with makeup or even leave a white tinge.

The answer to this is to get samples of the different sunscreens and use them till you find the one that suites your skin. All the sunscreens we sell have been tested by numerous patients from my practice and the ones that do not leave any tell-tale signs can be found here.

Our biggest enemy when it comes to ageing skin and hence wrinkles is UV damage so our first priority should be sunscreen applied every day in the A.M. Research has shown that not only will it help with ageing but we can expect to see an improvement in pigmentation and glow to our skins with daily use.

As we age our ability to get rid of the dead outer layer of skin cells is dramatically reduced (and this starts from the age of thirty) leaving us with a rough or textured skin surface. Furthermore a dull and sallow complexion starts to appear and with time wrinkles appear worse and we may even have dry areas visible on the skin surface.

Exfoliants are there to remove the unwanted and unneeded dead outer layer of skin cells and improve the penetration of skin care products and AHA’s and BHA’s have even shown t stimulate collagen and elastin production.

Older skin cells are forced to become young again. The skin is an intricate network of cells engaged in various levels of communication at all times. The most prevalent molecules responsible for this communication are cytokines. Cytokines are proteins, or peptides, that function as biological messengers. Cell-communicating ingredients indicate to your skin cells that it is time to start generating healthier younger skin cells. In doing so, you prevent wrinkles and reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles.

Skin Identical Substances:

A product may only be called “Skin Identical” if it is naturally occurring in the skin. Skin Identical Ingredients are important because they are our skins repairing ingredients and they tend to improve and target the substances between skin cells known as the intercellular matrix which helps to keep skin cells connected and helps to maintain the skin’s fundamental external structure.

By using a combination of the above ingredients we are literally getting the best of the best on our skins. All research so far indicates that these are truly the superhero anti-ageing ingredients for our skin care regime.

ALL SKIN TYPES

About Dr Alek Nikolic

Dr Alek Nikolic was born in South Africa and received his MBBCh (Wits) in 1992 and in 2000 he received his MBA (UCT). He has been in private practice for 24 years and is the owner of Aesthetic Facial Enhancement, which has offices in Cape Town.
Dr Nikolic specialises in aesthetic medicine and is at the forefront of the latest developments in his field. He is very driven and has lectured extensively and has performed live demonstrations throughout South Africa and Internationally including Bangkok, Rome, Paris, Monte Carlo, Prague, and Warsaw. Dr Nikolic’s focus is on skin care, skin ingredients and cosmetic dermatology treatments such as lasers, chemical peels, Botox, and Dermal Fillers. He has performed over 20 000 procedures to date and as such is responsible for training numerous medical practitioners both in South Africa and internationally.
Dr Nikolic is one of the founding members of the South African Allergan Medical Aesthetic Academy and chaired its inaugural launch in 2012. The Allergan Academy provides essential training to keep up with the latest technology in aesthetics. Dr Nikolic holds the advisory position of Allergan Local Country Mentor in Facial Aesthetics and is the Allergan Advanced Botox and Dermal Filler Trainer. He is Vice President of the Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine Society of South Africa (AAMSSA) and is an Associate Member of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS).
View all posts by Dr Alek Nikolic →

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